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Thomas Hayes

Age: 22

Sex: male

Date: 29 Jan 1943

Place: Runcorn, Cheshire

Thomas Hayes was found with injuries in a field and was taken to Runcorn Cottage Hospital where he later died.

He was a farm labourer and had lived in Halton Road, Runcorn.

He had worked at Halton Gate Farm since he was a boy and on the Wednesday he and another farm worker had been carting turnips from Norton Priory which was about half a mile away from Halton Gate Farm.

The cart was pulled by two horses, one of which had been bought the day before, however, the employer said that he was satisfied that it was a quiet animal.

Thomas Hayes had made the first journey with the other farm worker, but when he prepared for the second trip he said that he could manage alone.

Later on the other farm worker and the employer had been loading straw in the farmyard when a horse that was attached to the cart came trotting back into the yard.

When they then went to investigate, they found Thomas Hayes in a field about a quarter of a mile away and the other horse roaming about in a turnip field with its chains still fastened to its collar.

When they went up to Thomas Hayes they found him lying unconscious in a pool of blood.

A doctor that examined his body said that his death was due to a fracture to the base of his skull. He said that he didn't think that his injuries were caused by him having been run over by his cart or by a horse hitting him in the head with its hooves, stating that the injuries to his scalp didn't indicate the outline of a horse's hoof.

The coroner said that he was satisfied that Thomas Hayes's employer had taken all reasonable precautions and stated that the medical evidence had not allowed him to form any opinion as to how his injuries had been caused.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Liverpool Evening Express - Friday 29 January 1943